viven44 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 It has been a struggle being the only car guy in the block. My neighbor who has always been mean to me came over this morning and accused me of running a business from our house and dumping chemicals ! When you peek into our backyard past a 6ft gate, what you see it trucks taken apart. I have never dumped chemicals. All the oil is recycled properly at my neighborhood lube shop. Now when I do wash old parts (greasy car parts, etc) some of the residue etc inevitably is low level stuff that ends up in the drain. This morning I was pressure washing the outside of the old gas tank (little to no gas), skid plate, filler tubes and I suppose that was too much for him and that’s the last straw. He is reporting me. I suppose this is where it all ends until we move one day and live on more acreage ! Was curious if I’m alone or other have similar troubles here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Bummer! Maybe whomever he reports you to won't stop you? Maybe there's no problem, or one that you can easily fix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 number one! I have never owned a property with an HOA. second, I am very conscious about oil spills. it's just me. but I work in my yard. I always have. the most issue I have ever had was noise complaints. hey this can get loud. I had a close neighbor, driveways parallel but 40 ft apart. I tried to be noisy during the day while she was at work. but if she was at home while I was welding/grinding she would just sit on the side of her house facing me and complain. "he's always grinding". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Bummer! Maybe whomever he reports you to won't stop you? Maybe there's no problem, or one that you can easily fix? He is probably going to report to the city. But it was my wife thats more frustrated. She grew up on a farm on many acres and city living has been stressful already for her. She has always warned me that I was drawing unwanted attention with my hobbies and told me if I had to do this anymore that we would need to move out and live on a farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 number one! I have never owned a property with an HOA. second, I am very conscious about oil spills. it's just me. but I work in my yard. I always have. the most issue I have ever had was noise complaints. hey this can get loud. I had a close neighbor, driveways parallel but 40 ft apart. I tried to be noisy during the day while she was at work. but if she was at home while I was welding/grinding she would just sit on the side of her house facing me and complain. "he's always grinding". We don't have an HOA just the City. I live in a neighborhood where 90% of the homes have no tools in the garage, yard maintenance, and everything is outsourced. The garages are spotless and mine is a mechanic's den so I just don't fit in. I always dispose of waste properly, but when you are power washing greasy parts/ones exposed to gasoline it comes out looking all brown and bad and gets tricky. I use a household degreaser sometimes. Overall, some neighbors just don't like mechanic habits and think of us as nuisance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 We don't have an HOA just the City. I live in a neighborhood where 90% of the homes have no tools in the garage, yard maintenance, and everything is outsourced. The garages are spotless and mine is a mechanic's den so I just don't fit in. I always dispose of waste properly, but when you are power washing greasy parts/ones exposed to gasoline it comes out looking all brown and bad and gets tricky. I use a household degreaser sometimes. Overall, some neighbors just don't like mechanic habits and think of us as nuisance. not fitting in should be a badge of honor. society does not like success stories too familiar. much easier to accept one's own shortfalls that way. mythical creatures on tv/ internet are inspiring but a brother-in-law with a better job is just showing off. the dualities in our country are shameful. I sold the subdivision home almost two years ago where I built many custom bullnose trucks. now I'm out on a country road and don't give a damn. a well-cared for lawn, nice landscaping, and if the weather is nice the garage door is open while I make noise. even if it is just Ozzy Osborne from the stereo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 not fitting in should be a badge of honor. society does not like success stories too familiar. much easier to accept one's own shortfalls that way. mythical creatures on tv/ internet are inspiring but a brother-in-law with a better job is just showing off. the dualities in our country are shameful. I sold the subdivision home almost two years ago where I built many custom bullnose trucks. now I'm out on a country road and don't give a damn. a well-cared for lawn, nice landscaping, and if the weather is nice the garage door is open while I make noise. even if it is just Ozzy Osborne from the stereo. Yes indeed. I have been looking for reasons to move into a rural county and enjoy serenity!! I live in proper Dallas and currently have a less than 10 min commute to my workplace and THAT IS REALLY NICE!! That is the only part I would miss if I moved. All other neighbors are understanding and nice, especially the folks I've helped out with their car issues. I helped a friend today replace his front passenger window glass on his 2015 Jeep on my driveway. He appreciated having me as a friend I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Yes indeed. I have been looking for reasons to move into a rural county and enjoy serenity!! I live in proper Dallas and currently have a less than 10 min commute to my workplace and THAT IS REALLY NICE!! That is the only part I would miss if I moved. All other neighbors are understanding and nice, especially the folks I've helped out with their car issues. I helped a friend today replace his front passenger window glass on his 2015 Jeep on my driveway. He appreciated having me as a friend I'm sure. Sounds like you may need to report a nuisance neighbor. If they continue to harass you, turn the tables on them and report them for harassment. I once had neighbors across the street that lived higher up on a hill and could see right into my backyard. The only issue I had was with them seeing my expensive tools being used and possibly leading to break-ins and thefts due to their previous criminal histories. I installed a taller fence that blocks them out for the most part which helps my peace of mind. I don't know if you have privacy fencing installed, but if not, it may help your situation. One issue we may face in the future is drone usage. Nosy neighbors may start to fly drones over our houses to get a better view of what they view as "illegal activities". Unfortunately drone laws are lax in many places and have some catching up to do in order to prevent misuse by neighborhood justice warriors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Sounds like you may need to report a nuisance neighbor. If they continue to harass you, turn the tables on them and report them for harassment. I once had neighbors across the street that lived higher up on a hill and could see right into my backyard. The only issue I had was with them seeing my expensive tools being used and possibly leading to break-ins and thefts due to their previous criminal histories. I installed a taller fence that blocks them out for the most part which helps my peace of mind. I don't know if you have privacy fencing installed, but if not, it may help your situation. One issue we may face in the future is drone usage. Nosy neighbors may start to fly drones over our houses to get a better view of what they view as "illegal activities". Unfortunately drone laws are lax in many places and have some catching up to do in order to prevent misuse by neighborhood justice warriors. Thanks for providing your experience and I do agree that may be a good defensive strategy. Yes I have a motorized gate that blocks everything from view, so I really do not know what his problem is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Sounds like you may need to report a nuisance neighbor. If they continue to harass you, turn the tables on them and report them for harassment. I once had neighbors across the street that lived higher up on a hill and could see right into my backyard. The only issue I had was with them seeing my expensive tools being used and possibly leading to break-ins and thefts due to their previous criminal histories. I installed a taller fence that blocks them out for the most part which helps my peace of mind. I don't know if you have privacy fencing installed, but if not, it may help your situation. One issue we may face in the future is drone usage. Nosy neighbors may start to fly drones over our houses to get a better view of what they view as "illegal activities". Unfortunately drone laws are lax in many places and have some catching up to do in order to prevent misuse by neighborhood justice warriors. the thought of drones makes me here someone off in the background saying "pull". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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